Originally posted Monday, November 19, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Shamari DeVoe arrived for the first time on "Real Housewives of Atlanta" on the third episode of season 11 November 18.
The former Blaque singer's entry point is her long-time relationship with Kandi Burruss, who was also part of an all-girl Atlanta group in the 1990s Xscape.
“We were label mates on Columbia Records,” Shamari said in a recent interview. “She wrote the remix to our first single ‘808.’ We worked musically. I was excited to be around her.”
In her first moments on the show, Kandi describes Shamari as a fun person “who doesn’t put on airs.”
“When we get together, it’s like we never skip a beat,” Shamari said on the show.
But she also has ties to Porsha Williams. "We went to high school together," she said. "We are both close to Shamea [Morton.] I'm from Atlanta. I know how it works. I know the personalities of Atlanta." (She moved to Atlanta from Detroit at age five.)
RELATED: Who is Shamari DeVoe? A Cliff’s Notes version
She said Bravo approached her for season 10 but she was pregnant with her twin boys. “I’m not pregnant now!” she said.
Shamari said she thinks she got the "RHOA" Peach because of her story. It doesn't hurt that her husband Ronnie DeVoe is part of New Edition and Bell Biv Devoe. He has a wildly popular fan base that certainly overlaps with "RHOA."
“I have great story to share,” she said. “My husband and I have been together a long time and we’re marriage ambassadors. We’ve been doing that for three years. We’ve gone through so many challenges. I’m very transparent and open with my story. I think that there are people who want to hear about that.”
Being a wife, a new mom and businesswoman, she said she can provide fresh energy to the show. “I’m honest and I’m passionate about things I care about,” she said. “I’m very outspoken.
Midway through the episode, her hubby Ronnie shows up. (He is 51. He looks 15 years younger.) They are recording music together. She noted on the show how they met in 2001 at the MTV Icon Awards and they had sex the first night. While people think that doesn’t bode well for a long-term relationship, Shamari said that they prove that isn’t necessarily the case.
Later, she performed her Blaque hit "Bring It On To Me" at an "ATL Live' showcase. Cynthia Bailey offered up some shade, saying her outfits and makeup were "a bit dated."
Shamari is ready for opening herself up on a show like this and the type of social media criticism that inevitably follows.
“I have thick skin,” she said. “I’ve been in this industry a long time. My husband has, too. He’s a legend. I’ve had people comment on my life before. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
She also steeled herself for NeNe Leakes to give her some immediate hazing/shade. That is what she has done in the past with newcomers (think Phaedra Parks and Kenya Moore.).
“I really thought she was going to come for me,” Shamari said. “Instead, she was really nice. She embraced me. I love NeNe. She’s so funny. I may have problems with other cast members. Not NeNe.”
On the show, NeNe is nice to Shamari to her face the first time they meet on camera, but while doing her interview to Bravo later, she gave that classic NeNe “look” of suspicion.
Also, there is momentary tenseness when Shamari oddly asks her husband to critique Kandi’s Xscape performance, something Kandi was not at all soliciting. “Placement,” he said, basically implying that their set list order wasn’t ideal.
You could immediately see the blood drain from Kandi’s face as she took this in. And the other women sensed the immediate awkwardness.
Other story lines from Sunday’s episode in brief:
- Kandi is working on a second OLG restaurant since the first one has done so well.
- NeNe’s husband Gregg had his colon cancer taken out. He chose not to do chemo.
- Kandi knows about Porsha's current beau Dennis McKinley and seems to have dirt on him but hasn't revealed it to her yet. But she talks to some of her staff that Dennis had dated many other women. Her brand manager even knew the woman he dumped to date Porsha. Kandi also heard he would tattoo his lady friend's names on himself and buy them Rolexes. In other words, what he's doing to woo Porsha is something he's done before. "It's like a freakin' dream," Porsha says, unaware of what Kandi is saying.
NEXT WEEK:
Dennis gets grilled about marrying Porsha and Kandi and Todd meet up with “Married to Medicine’s” Dr. Jackie to discuss having another child. And Shamari has been in an open relationship. And there are some issues with Eva lying about... something... maybe?
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